LeBron finally done?

[Ogaju]

i dont see him as hanging around indefinitely right?

like - once he cant be the best anymore thats probably it for him.

No Lebron the ancient veteran who doesnt ever play but is on the team because he's Lebron?

so if thats true, then the end should be near

I think he wants to play with his son.  Or at least will stick around long enough to see if his son has a chance to make it to the NBA (so that he can then play with him).  That will also allow him to pass Kareem on the points list and move up on all of the other all time lists.  He also wants to get another couple of titles because he wants there to be no doubt that he is the greatest player ever.  So he will be around at least a few more seasons if not more.

That ship has already long sailed.  No matter what these next few years bring, they''ll always be doubt that he is the greatest player of all-time.

If he wins 2 more titles, I don't think there will be doubt except for a few that either really hate Lebron or really love Jordan.  It will be really hard to argue anyone other than him if he ends up with 6 rings (that would give him at least 12 finals, same as Bill as well, though obviously Bill's wins won't be touched) and he is 1st all time in points, 3rd all time in assists, top 20 or so in rebounds, top 10 in steals.  He is all but guaranteed those placements barring a career ending injury.  The titles are the tricky one of course, but he very well might pick up his 5th in a couple more months.

Odds really not on the side of the Lakers.

[Big333223]

I don't want to take anything away from last year's championship but how much did that big layoff before the bubble help a guy like Lebron? It seems to me that an older player with a lot of miles is the type that would've benefited the most in that situation.

He's had the injury now this season and whatever rehab work goes into that. He might not be able to turn it on like before.

[Muzzy66]

He's a great player, and I think he seems like a really good person as well

I beg to differ based on:

- The fact that he made threatening tweets against a police officer who saved a young black girl's life and made no apologies about it
- The fact that he attacked Daryl Morey (and defended China) when Morey spoke out against China's treatment of people in Hong Kong
- The fact that he seems to have had no issues throwing teammates under the bus when he wasn't happy (e.g. Kevin Love in Cleveland)

I don't think Lebron is a "really good person" at all.  I think he's an arrogant, egotistical person with a major god complex. 

[colincb]

He's not the same player he used to be, but he's still one of the best players in the NBA.

[hpantazo]

Yeah, when Lebron starts complaining about injuries and starts dogging it, it usually means he knows his team is in trouble and he's preparing the narrative to check out for a while. Nothing more than that.

[Muzzy66]

I’ll believe it when I see it. LeBron is like Jason Voorhees, except he’s more successful at what he does.

I wouldn't be shocked at all.  He may be very fit and durable physically, but at at the end of the day father time will always catch up.  For reference lets look at two other guys who were abnormally fit and durable physically - Karl Malone and Kevin Garnett. 

In their first 10 seasons:
* Lebron played in 765 of 820 possible games (93.29%)
* Garnett played in 775 of 788 possible games (98.35%)   
* Malone played in 816 of 820 possible games (99.51%)

So during their primes Garnett and Malone were both measurably more durable then even Lebron was.

Now lets look at their career miles (combined regular season and playoffs):
* Karl Malone retired with a total of 1,669 games and 62,759 minutes
* Kevin Garnett retired with a total of 1,605 games and 55,701 minutes
* Lebron has so far played 1,568 games and 60,810 minutes

The average of Malone and KG gives you 1,637 games and 59,230 minutes.  Lebron is right there.  Considering Malone and KG were even more durable then Lebron in their primes, it's hard to imagine Lebron has much left in him.

[satch]

He's a great player, and I think he seems like a really good person as well

I beg to differ based on:

- The fact that he made threatening tweets against a police officer who saved a young black girl's life and made no apologies about it
- The fact that he attacked Daryl Morey (and defended China) when Morey spoke out against China's treatment of people in Hong Kong
- The fact that he seems to have had no issues throwing teammates under the bus when he wasn't happy (e.g. Kevin Love in Cleveland)

I don't think Lebron is a "really good person" at all.  I think he's an arrogant, egotistical person with a major god complex.

Lots of help from the officials over the years.

[gouki88]

greatest player of his generation yet couldn't accomplish anything without having to create a 'superteam' to do it.  no respect for him, his whining and the ridiculous superstar treatment he received the moment he stepped on the court as a rookie.  The ridiculous stretches he'd enjoy without being called for a single foul were egregious and blatant show of favoritism by the league.

The only one of his career moments I ever enjoyed was the game where he fouled out against the Celtics in the playoffs and he couldn't get over the fact that the refs dared to foul him out.

Ah yes because the greatest players of all time weren't winning their multiple championships on super teams.

I think where people get nuts about the superteams isn't that the greatest players play on superteams, but how those teams are created. The 80's Celtics, Lakers and Pistons and the 90's Bulls and Rockets and recent teams like San Antonio, Detroit, Dallas and the pre-Durant Warriors were put together more organically. But the Heat, the Cavs, this recent iteration of the Lakers and the Durant Warriors were more about players forcing themselves together to form those teams superteams. I think that's where people get mad. Personally, it doesn't bother me. If in 2-3 years someone like Doncic or Giannis wants to force his way to Boston to form a superteam with the Jays, count me in.

I don't know if those teams were organic.  For example, Magic has said a number of times if the Lakers didn't win the coin flip, he was going to go back to Michigan State and finish college.  He only stayed in the draft because he wanted to play with Kareem.  Moses Malone won a MVP and forced his way out of Houston and ended up on a super team in Philly.  Kareem forced his way out of Milwaukee.  Wilt moved around a bunch.  So did Shaq.  Kobe refused to report to Charlotte so they had to trade him to the Lakers.  This notion that this is some new development just isn't borne in reality.  Everything is way more publicized today because of the internet and tv, so there is more focus on it, but this has been happening since basically the league started.

Not remotely comparable

[Moranis]

greatest player of his generation yet couldn't accomplish anything without having to create a 'superteam' to do it.  no respect for him, his whining and the ridiculous superstar treatment he received the moment he stepped on the court as a rookie.  The ridiculous stretches he'd enjoy without being called for a single foul were egregious and blatant show of favoritism by the league.

The only one of his career moments I ever enjoyed was the game where he fouled out against the Celtics in the playoffs and he couldn't get over the fact that the refs dared to foul him out.

Ah yes because the greatest players of all time weren't winning their multiple championships on super teams.

I think where people get nuts about the superteams isn't that the greatest players play on superteams, but how those teams are created. The 80's Celtics, Lakers and Pistons and the 90's Bulls and Rockets and recent teams like San Antonio, Detroit, Dallas and the pre-Durant Warriors were put together more organically. But the Heat, the Cavs, this recent iteration of the Lakers and the Durant Warriors were more about players forcing themselves together to form those teams superteams. I think that's where people get mad. Personally, it doesn't bother me. If in 2-3 years someone like Doncic or Giannis wants to force his way to Boston to form a superteam with the Jays, count me in.

I don't know if those teams were organic.  For example, Magic has said a number of times if the Lakers didn't win the coin flip, he was going to go back to Michigan State and finish college.  He only stayed in the draft because he wanted to play with Kareem.  Moses Malone won a MVP and forced his way out of Houston and ended up on a super team in Philly.  Kareem forced his way out of Milwaukee.  Wilt moved around a bunch.  So did Shaq.  Kobe refused to report to Charlotte so they had to trade him to the Lakers.  This notion that this is some new development just isn't borne in reality.  Everything is way more publicized today because of the internet and tv, so there is more focus on it, but this has been happening since basically the league started.

Not remotely comparable

Sure they are.  Those are players dictating where they want to or don't want to play and doing what it takes to get it done.  Free agency wasn't really a thing back then, but dictating where you go is absolutely the same thing.

[SparzWizard]

He’s not going anywhere, he’s laying the foundation for an excuse for why his team failed this year so that it’s not his fault when they get eliminated and that he’s a hero if they don’t.

This is similar to him blaming a finals loss on  a phantom hand injury that was a terrible terrible look.

This guy gets it.

If Bron figures out he can't win with Anthony Davis and whatever the Lakers have set up for him, he'll engineer his way to a different situation where he has more help.

LeBron to Brooklyn or Philadelphia? Go back East, those two teams already got heavy star players in there.

[Sophomore]

Yeah, when Lebron starts complaining about injuries and starts dogging it, it usually means he knows his team is in trouble and he's preparing the narrative to check out for a while. Nothing more than that.

Idk. That team was rolling when he went down. The team is built better than last year’s team that won.

They’re in trouble now, if that’s what you mean. But I don’t see any reason to think the injury was fake.

[staticcc]

He's a great player, and I think he seems like a really good person as well

I beg to differ based on:

- The fact that he made threatening tweets against a police officer who saved a young black girl's life and made no apologies about it
- The fact that he attacked Daryl Morey (and defended China) when Morey spoke out against China's treatment of people in Hong Kong
- The fact that he seems to have had no issues throwing teammates under the bus when he wasn't happy (e.g. Kevin Love in Cleveland)

I don't think Lebron is a "really good person" at all.  I think he's an arrogant, egotistical person with a major god complex.

Now do research on the good things Lebron has done for marginalized communities. If he isn't a good person, no one is.

[tarheelsxxiii]

No chance.  With so many social justices issues to be addressed, who else is going to pose while reading the 1st page of woke books?

[gouki88]

greatest player of his generation yet couldn't accomplish anything without having to create a 'superteam' to do it.  no respect for him, his whining and the ridiculous superstar treatment he received the moment he stepped on the court as a rookie.  The ridiculous stretches he'd enjoy without being called for a single foul were egregious and blatant show of favoritism by the league.

The only one of his career moments I ever enjoyed was the game where he fouled out against the Celtics in the playoffs and he couldn't get over the fact that the refs dared to foul him out.

Ah yes because the greatest players of all time weren't winning their multiple championships on super teams.

I think where people get nuts about the superteams isn't that the greatest players play on superteams, but how those teams are created. The 80's Celtics, Lakers and Pistons and the 90's Bulls and Rockets and recent teams like San Antonio, Detroit, Dallas and the pre-Durant Warriors were put together more organically. But the Heat, the Cavs, this recent iteration of the Lakers and the Durant Warriors were more about players forcing themselves together to form those teams superteams. I think that's where people get mad. Personally, it doesn't bother me. If in 2-3 years someone like Doncic or Giannis wants to force his way to Boston to form a superteam with the Jays, count me in.

I don't know if those teams were organic.  For example, Magic has said a number of times if the Lakers didn't win the coin flip, he was going to go back to Michigan State and finish college.  He only stayed in the draft because he wanted to play with Kareem.  Moses Malone won a MVP and forced his way out of Houston and ended up on a super team in Philly.  Kareem forced his way out of Milwaukee.  Wilt moved around a bunch.  So did Shaq.  Kobe refused to report to Charlotte so they had to trade him to the Lakers.  This notion that this is some new development just isn't borne in reality.  Everything is way more publicized today because of the internet and tv, so there is more focus on it, but this has been happening since basically the league started.

Not remotely comparable

Sure they are.  Those are players dictating where they want to or don't want to play and doing what it takes to get it done.  Free agency wasn't really a thing back then, but dictating where you go is absolutely the same thing.

Apples and oranges. You're the only person I've ever seen try and compare them, unsurprisingly

[Kernewek]

I think Moranis has more of a point than you are allowing here.